After listening to Su Lin's audacious recommendation, Aiko's face went grim as she remained silent for a short while. Jin Kai guessed that Aiko was probably processing Su Lin's suggestion in her mind, weighing the pros and cons very carefully given the weight of the matter.
Aiko soon broke her silence, "Su Lin…you know that we might potentially be facing a Demon if we were to take on this task, right? Demons are on a whole new level as compared to the Spectres that Jin Kai has faced so far, so if you really insist on accepting this mission, I would have to exclude Jin Kai from participating, given his lack of experience…"
Jin Kai was about to voice his dissent before Su Lin stepped in, explaining firmly, "Aiko. I know the risk of fighting with a Demon. It's definitely dangerous to bring Jin Kai along, but the experience he would gain from such an encounter far outweighs the risk, especially since a commissioned officer, you, are around to ensure that things don't spiral out of control.
If Jin Kai doesn't know how frightening and lethal Demons can be early on, would you rather have him encounter his first Demon without a commissioned officer like you around? Don't forget that once Jin Kai achieves the rank of Corporal and above, he is able to join a section led by just a Sergeant which is expected to be strong enough to take on low class Demons as a team.
Often, such teams, including the Section Commander, may indeed have the firepower required to exterminate Demons when they work as a team. However, Demons are extremely cunning unlike Spectres, thus, even if they are only slightly stronger than the average Spectre, you can be sure that the battle won't be concluded easily, especially since they are technically the rulers of their own heavily distorted Reflected World.
In sum, it's better for Jin Kai to be exposed early on, while you're still there to watch over him, Aiko, as someone who can probably take on a low class Demon one on one comfortably. Don't make the same mistake I did back then, leading a group of fresh-faced Corporals to their demise on their first Demon extermination…"
Jin Kai was stumped, while Aiko's expression softened considerably as Su Lin continued to narrate her past, "Before I was posted to Singapore, I was a Section Commander in China, leading my own section which was 7 men strong. The guys I led were all capable in their own right, and most of them were on the fast track towards promotion given their potential.
However, it was precisely due to their strength and inexperience with fighting against Demons that made them complacent on our very first Demon extermination. Each of them thought that this was an opportunity to demonstrate their worth, so any semblance of teamwork that we had in the past fell apart.
Having sorely underestimated the danger posed by a Demon and its potential to evolve further, sometimes rapidly, I could only watch as my men were killed one by one by that cursed abomination, its growth over the course of the battle catching them all by surprise. Finally, after an extremely arduous battle, I had finally eliminated the Demon as the sole remaining survivor, though victory at that point of time truly felt meaningless. I'd failed as a leader after all.
Despite my failure to protect the lives of my men, the Foundation didn't hold this incident against me, recognising that Demon exterminations were heavily volatile and full of risks, not to mention that my men were also guilty of disobeying my instructions in their eyes.
For singlehandedly exterminating a Demon, a feat usually associated with senior officers, I was promoted to Staff Sergeant and sent here to Singapore, given that there were vacancies here, not to mention my familiarity with this country.
Even up to today, I can never forget the anguish I felt that day for my inability to keep my men alive, so Aiko, I beseech of you to let Jin Kai participate in this mission, for I fear that with his immense potential as you've mentioned, complacency would cause him to meet his early end…"
Jin Kai gulped as he remained silent, unsure of what to say. Su Lin had never shared with him such a traumatic incident before, and he hadn't even noticed the emotional struggle she must be going through back then. Aiko sighed before she finally relented, "I guess you're right. However, I want you both to promise me that you would heed my instructions at all time, because we don't know how strong this potential Demon would be until we experience it firsthand."
Jin Kai and Su Lin nodded their heads without objection as the trio swiftly headed out to their next destination; the address given by the robber's accomplice.
The lift doors opened slowly as the trio swiftly stepped out at Level 8, as they searched for the unit given by the accomplice to check if the robber was home. Once they arrived at the unit, all of them could immediately sense the immense distortion in the air, and the extremely strong reddish hue behind the door of the unit.
Moreover, they could hear rustling sounds from inside the unit, much like a person frantically packing his stuff to make a quick getaway. As the windows were pulled slightly ajar, they could barely hear some mumbling, "Darn, he should be back by now! That idiot probably got caught! Time to leave while I can!"
Aiko remarked softly, "Seems like we've got our man. Let's find a place where we wouldn't be disturbed and quickly enter that distorted psyche to verify our target." The other two nodded as they swiftly found a nearby staircase which they deemed suitable. Sitting with their backs against the wall near the stairwell, it didn't take long before all 3 entered the Reflected World…
When Jin Kai opened his eyes, he was horrified to discover himself in a place which was nearly pitch black, save for the blood-red auroras along the "skyline" that lit up the place. Jin Kai asked, "What's with this place? It reeks heavily of blood and death, I've never entered a psyche this grim before!"
A firm female voice belonging to Su Lin replied, "Well, this is the Reflected World of someone possessed by a Demon after all. One of the tell-tale signs that a person is possessed by a Demon is the brightness of the Reflected World, since heavier distortions to the Psyche are reflected by increasing darkness here. However, given that this place is just a vast flat land with no other artificial constructions, I suppose this demon ain't very strong-"
Aiko interjected, "Don't take our enemy lightly, Su Lin. Though the terrain may appear flat and open, we don't know what our enemy has in store for us. Let's proceed with caution using [Void]-" Before Aiko could take another step, they all could hear sounds of clapping as a pale man dressed in a simple T-shirt and trousers stepped forward from the darkness.
The man, who had crimson eyes which shone brightly of bloodlust, exclaimed warmly, "Welcome to my humble place, visitors. What business might you have with me, Xue Lang? An urgent loan? I've a special deal for y'all, if you take up a loan of $10,000 or more, I'll charge you interest at an all-time low of 7.5%! Ain't that great?"
Aiko cursed inwardly, "Darn, he noticed us before we could go under the radar! At least he showed himself and even revealed his name. Now, all that's left is to send him into oblivion quickly without him noticing…"
Before Aiko could say anything, an exasperated Jin Kai exclaimed, "We're not interested in your illegal money lending business, you loan shark! We're here to deliver you to justice, you petty robber who robs the defenceless like that elderly woman! What kind of boss are you, I believe even gangsters have a code of honour which they abide to!"
Aiko buried her face in her palm as her plan to end this surreptitiously has gone down the drain. Visibly angered by Jin Kai's taunt, the veins on Xue Lang's forehead bulged as he gritted his teeth in anger, cursing, "I once operated a lucrative money lending business in one of the largest residential areas in Singapore, Yishun. Back in my golden heydays, I was easily earning at least a thousand dollars every day!
However, my empire collapsed when that meddlesome brat showed up. That little hooligan, Seow Han Wei and his gang of misfits beat up my peddlers so badly in the name of "self-defence" that my men all left me one by one, afraid to incur his wrath over mine. I still remember that fateful day, the day that I thought I would finally put an end to that detestable teenager in a successful ambush.
However, I would never expect that I would be fighting a true demon incarnate. Despite being severely outnumbered and sporting numerous injuries from the blows my men had rained upon him, that little freak refused to go down, as he crashed fist after fist into the faces of my men, shattering teeth and fracturing skulls in the process.
Even when we restrained those immensely powerful arms of his, the monster's legs were no less powerful as he struggled with reckless abandon, like a truly frenzied beast. Han Wei even used his own head as a weapon, which explains this scar on my face as well as my missing tooth. By the time the Police arrived, my men were largely all down, bleeding and unconscious while Han Wei was still standing, blood dripping from his fists.
I would never forget that hateful stare from those eyes of his as I was pulled away by one of my subordinates, who was fortunate to escape with light injuries as he hardly participated in the fight, a coward, but a smart man who rescued me from certain doom.
The aftermath of the incident was clear, my men were all charged with assault despite suffering life-threatening injuries on top of other offences relating to our business and Han Wei only escaped with a light sentence of community service since he was deemed the victim, not to mention that he was a juvenile in the eyes of the law.
As for myself, I've managed to avoid the Police for weeks, but everything I had was gone; my gang, my business, my reputation, everything! I was forced to resort to robbery when my savings ran dangerously low. Now, do you understand my anger? I swear I won't go down until I exact my revenge on that cursed brat Han Wei, and nobody's going to stop me!"
Xue Lang's body convulsed slightly before his muscles started to bulge outwards, his body beginning to morph into that of a monstrosity as black miasma covered his entire body. Aiko ordered, "Stay alert and be on your toes! He's revealing his true self now!" When the black miasma faded, Jin Kai could barely make out the silhouette of what appeared to be a werewolf, its red eyes piercing straight into his heart.
Without warning, the Demon vanished, and in the next instant, a dust cloud emerged at where Jin Kai once stood as something crashed at his location. Aiko grunted, "Shit! Don't tell me that Demon can gauge our power levels and went after the weakest among the three of us first! Jin Kai, you OK?"
To Aiko's pleasant surprise, when the dust cloud settled, she realised that the Demon, a white-furred werewolf who was over 2 metres tall, had its right claw sinking deep into the ground before Jin Kai, who had narrowly avoided the attack. Aiko thought, "Not bad, he probably used [Field] to predict where his opponent would strike, enabling him to dodge at the last minute by using [Augment]."
Maintaining his composure despite the near shave, Jin Kai conjured white electricity in his left hand which sparks streaked haphazardly as he muttered, "Tear through darkness and vanquish evil, [White Lightning]!" Without hesitation, Jin Kai hurled the lightning bolt straight at the Demon's face at point-blank range before jumping back to increase the distance between them.
BOOM! Jin Kai's spell successfully connected as smoke resulting from the explosion on impact covered the face of the Demon. Jin Kai thought, "Thanks to my training over the past few days, I've slowly gotten the hang of using this spell, enabling me to generate more power in an efficient manner. The spell should have hurt it rather considerably, given that I was able to create a crack on the stinger of that scorpion Spectre a few days ago."
Unfortunately, when the smoke dissipated, Jin Kai was horrified to discover that the Demon was barely hurt, only stunned by Jin Kai's spell as it shook its head in an attempt to regain its sense of balance. Upon recovering, the Demon's eyes flashed open as it stared at Jin Kai, making no attempt to disguise its malice.
Before Jin Kai could do anything else, a voice whispered softly into his ear, "OK, you've seen how strong a Demon can be. Now, take a step back and let the professionals handle this." Distracted by what he had heard, Jin Kai couldn't defend himself when the Demon suddenly appeared before him, ready to decapitate him with a left swipe.
However, before the Demon could proceed as planned, it was struck hard in the gut by a single palm strike, causing it to skid backwards by a few metres. Jin Kai heaved a sigh of relief when he realised that it was Su Lin who had come to his rescue, and she was not done with the Demon yet.
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Rushing forward without caution for her own safety, Su Lin swiftly closed the gap between her and the Demon before launching a flurry of palm strikes against its torso, ending her rout with a firm backhand smash using her right fist. Helpless against Su Lin's relentless barrage, the Demon could only endure her assault before being pushed back even further with her final strike, as it crashed a fair distance away on its back.
Jin Kai could only stare in amazement at Su Lin's moves. Sure, he knew she was a martial arts prodigy, being trained under her mother who opened her own school teaching baguazhang. However, the gap between his expectations and reality was just too wide, as Su Lin's strikes were too fast for Jin Kai to follow with his naked eye.
What was even more amazing was the fact that Su Lin hardly appeared to be breaking a sweat, as she calmly remarked to Aiko, "This Demon is most likely a power type, with a heavier emphasis on its physical attributes, notably speed and defence. Given the strength of its hide and its earlier performance, I'd say it is a D-class, lieutenant."
Aiko smiled as she chirped, "Well, I'll trust your assessment, Su Lin. Nonetheless, we ought to remain on our guard, since Demons have the potential to grow stronger in the course of battle. How're you faring on your first Demon extermination, Jin Kai?"
Jin Kai gulped as he replied, "D-class? How many classes of Demons are there? This guy is already pretty strong in my opinion!" Su Lin replied nonchalantly, "Well, there are conventionally 5 classes from A to E, with E being the weakest. That makes D-class 2nd weakest. Don't feel so down though, even E-class demons can be dangerous to a section, so just treat this encounter as a learning experience!"
Jin Kai felt highly embarrassed. He'd thought that he'd gotten pretty strong over the past few days, but the hammer of reality soon struck him in the face in the form of the D-class Demon, Xue Lang. Now, Jin Kai could finally understand Aiko's apprehension in bringing him along. He truly wasn't ready to handle such monsters on his own, and would probably be a burden to the team at the current moment.
Meanwhile, the Demon slowly staggered to its feet, blood trickling from the corner of its mouth. Wiping away the blood from its mouth, the Demon rasped, "Guess I underestimated you humans. Even the weakest among you isn't an easy picking, I suppose. It's time for me to turn the tables. Come on out, my loyal hounds!"
Even though the darkness hindered vision, Jin Kai could clearly sense numerous presences emerging from the darkness, as several pairs of bloodthirsty eyes locked onto him, their intent extremely clear. Jin Kai mumbled, "Um, guys. I think we are surrounded by Spectres. Do you have a plan, Aiko?"
Aiko responded in a confident yet rude manner, "Don't need to state the obvious, Jin Kai. Not to worry, all of these is still within expectations, as Demons are known to command armies of Spectres. I hope you still remember your promise to me, Su Lin. Now's the time to keep it, for I want you and Jin Kai to keep those Spectres busy, I'll take on that Demon alone. No buts, is that clear?"
Su Lin sighed as she nodded, barking, "Come on Jin Kai, let's clear out these runts so that our boss can hunt in peace. Be careful, these Spectres are stronger than the ones you've faced thus far!" Jin Kai silently obliged as he conjured his trusty spear before linking up with Su Lin as they began their extermination of the Spectres, who were in the form of shadowy black wolves.
It was now a showdown between Aiko and Xue Lang, as the latter chortled, "Hmph, that lass earlier may have hit me pretty hard, but I'm not at full power yet, hahaha! I'm surprised that you didn't get that lass to work with you to fight me, maybe you two would have stood a chance if you had worked together, mwahahaha!"
Aiko smiled as she offered a cynical response, "Oh, please. You wouldn't stand a chance against either of us, not to mention both of us at the same time. Don't overestimate yourself, you mutt. Why don't you show me your full power right now?"
Aiko's words were the last straw as Xue Lang roared, "Alright! If 100% is what you want, 100% is what you'll get! Prepare to die in the most gruesome fashion possible!" Upon completing his sentence, the psychodynamic energy around the Demon grew denser as the ground under him cracked. The Demon's muscles grew larger as its height grew a few inches, making it appear a lot more intimidating than before, as saliva dribbled down the corner of its mouth.
Meanwhile, Jin Kai was facing some difficulty in keeping the Spectres in check, as he realised that even with [Augment], it wasn't easy to rip through the torsos of the bloodthirsty wolves which pounced on him from all directions. Jin Kai thought, "This isn't looking good, at this rate, I'm going to run out of psychodynamic energy before I get rid of all of them. I need to find a more efficient method of strengthening my attacks…"
Suddenly, an idea came into Jin Kai's mind as he cheered out loud, "Yes, there's that spell I can use! What a good opportunity to test it out!" After dodging the advance of a Spectre before impaling its head, Jin Kai muttered, "Let Heaven's grace bless my weapon, [Lightning Boost]!"
In an instant, sharp, crackling electricity flowed along the surface of Jin Kai's spear, searing through the flesh of its victims as Jin Kai expertly twirled his weapon. Upon seeing Jin Kai's new spell, Su Lin, who was calmly dispatching the Spectres as she weaved through them, remarked, "Not bad, by converting the nature of your psychodynamic energy into that which is sharper like a lightsaber, you reduce your expenditure of psychodynamic energy in the long run. Good job!"
Jin Kai smiled sheepishly at Su Lin's compliment before she reminded starkly, "It's not over yet! These Spectres will keep on coming so long as their boss isn't defeated, so don't let down your guard!" Jin Kai nodded before a bright flash of light at the corner of his eye distracted both him and his opponents momentarily…
Upon witnessing Xue Lang's display of might, Aiko analysed coldly, "Hhhm, so this is your full power…got to say that I'm a tad disappointed, for I was hoping for a far greater challenge so that I can take another step closer to my dream…"
Pausing between her sentences, Aiko resumed shortly thereafter, "Fine. It doesn't matter. All demons have to be exterminated, regardless of strength. Let's do this, partner." Xue Lang was about to pounce on the stationary Aiko and gouge her flesh out before a chill ran down his spine. The Demon started breaking out in cold sweat inexplicably, even from his own perspective.
Sure, the girl's eyes were cold and merciless, but it had to be more than just that to keep a big bad Demon like Xue Lang away, especially when it was supposed to be the absolute ruler of this domain. Suddenly, the air became still as Xue Lang soon discovered the source of his anxiety.
In an instant, Aiko released a far greater amount of psychodynamic energy than Xue Lang , but unlike Xue Lang that did it just for show as the energy he released quickly dissipated into the surroundings, the psychodynamic energy released by Aiko wrapped itself around her and began to slowly take shape, before finally culminating in a bang of bright light.
Blinded momentarily by the flash, Xue Lang was soon horrified to discover that a visible figure was standing right behind Aiko, twirling its revolver nonchalantly. The figure, who was dressed very much like a Cowboy in the Wild West, was at least 2 heads taller than Aiko, as it stood casually with one leg crossed behind the other.
To Xue Lang's horror, the figure spoke, "It's been a long time since you've summoned me, my Lady. Oh, is that a Demon I see? No wonder you called me out for some hunting, hehehe." Aiko sighed, "I wish you'll keep your mouth shut more often, Slim. You already talk enough in my own Reflected World. Why am I so unlucky to have a Reflection that can speak out loud even in another person's Reflected World?"
Putting Xue Lang's presence aside, Slim chuckled, "Oh come on, don't be like that, my Lady. Don't you love smooth-talking cowboys like me, [Highway Sheriff Slim], who always save damsels with their charm and their guns? That's the reason why I'm your Reflection after all! It's a fundamental part of who you are!"
Angered by Slim's obvious disregard for him, Xue Lang howled, "Is that all you can do, little girl? Summon out a pretty boy whom you can hide behind? You're really all talk after all!" Just as Xue Lang completed his taunt, two bullets whistled past him, grazing both his left shoulder and left ear badly with their speed.
As Xue Lang grabbed his ear and shoulder before grimacing in pain, Slim warned coldly, "While I thank you for complimenting my looks, I feel an urgent need to remind you that prey have no right to speak. Oh, and by the way, let me just enlighten you to the fact that being able to talk is important as well, girls love guys who are good with their words on top of their actions and looks."
After tearing through another Spectre with his electricity coated spear, Jin Kai looked at Slim and asked, "Wow, what is that? Is that another application of psychodynamic energy?" Su Lin, who batted an incoming Spectre away, replied, "Yes, that's the most advanced application of psychodynamic energy, conjuring your Reflection, in other words, your inner self which reflects all of your aspirations, desires etc."
After striking 2 more Spectres, Su Lin continued, "It's extremely difficult to conjure a Reflection, both technically and emotionally. That's why the ability to conjure a Reflection is so highly regarded in the Foundation, being the minimum criterion required to become a commissioned officer here. I'm glad that we're given a chance to see how strong Lieutenant Aiko's Reflection is."
Meanwhile, Xue Lang, who was slowly recovering from the pain, thought silently, "Curses! I didn't let down my guard when it came to my defence and yet his bullets tore through my proud armour so easily? If he wasn't fooling around, he could've killed me on the spot! I've to avoid a head-on confrontation at all costs if I'm to live and kill him together with that lass!"
Without warning, Xue Lang took off, opting to run round Slim and Aiko in circles till he spotted an opening. Slim fired a few shots in pursuit, but Xue Lang's pace was too quick for them to land, as they decimated some Spectres instead. Aiko berated, "How many times have I told you to go for the kill with your first shot? Now, what are you going to do, sharpshooter?"
Slim replied casually, "Aw, come on. We've faced speedy opponents like him before, so no worries! If he was a really dangerous opponent, I would naturally take him seriously, but this guy is just a puppy! We'll just have to resort to that drill to kill him, like the good old days!"
Aiko sighed as she resigned to her fate. Meanwhile, Jin Kai, who was more interested in the battle between Aiko and Xue Lang than his own fight, asked, "Why can't Aiko join her Reflection in opening fire against Xue Lang? In addition, why can't she move from her current spot?"
Su Lin, who was largely done on her end, explained, "A Reflection is essentially an extension of one's own body, very much like a weapon fashioned from your cognition. The drawback of using a Reflection is that its user is unable to perform any other actions that use psychodynamic energy concurrently, since she has all her attention focused on directing her Reflection.
Moreover, every Reflection is governed by 2 radii; a movement radius and an action radius. The movement radius determines how far a Reflection can move away from its user, while the action radius determines how far a Reflection's actions can travel assuming it is immobile. The sum of these 2 radii gives us the effective radius of a Reflection, in other words, the maximum range of its action using the user as the reference point.
From the looks of it, it seems like though Slim has a decent action radius, his movement radius is probably pretty small, thus, Aiko is forced to remain near to him. Oh, and one more thing, any damage sustained by a Reflection is transferred to its user, so that's another risk of using a Reflection."
Jin Kai exclaimed after piercing through a Spectre which sought to ambush him from behind, "What? Isn't Aiko in great danger now, with Slim being such a big target for that Demon to attack?" Su Lin shrugged her shoulders as she remarked, "I'm sure our boss has a plan, so let's just focus on what's in front of us for now."
Xue Lang grinned as he thought, "Seems like this fella is pretty slow. Too bad for him, speed is my strength, hahaha! Prepare to die, asshole!" Judging that Slim was most vulnerable from behind, Xue Lang swiftly seized his opportunity to dive in, as he sought to rip through Slim's nape with one swipe.
Just as Xue Lang thought that he had succeeded, Slim suddenly vanished into thin air as Aiko performed a quick backroll through Xue Lang's legs. Before Xue Lang could recover, he felt the cold metal of a barrel resting on the back of his head, as a cool voice rang, "Hasta la vista, baby."
The sound of gunfire could then be heard eminently before Xue Lang even had any opportunity to scream, as Slim literally blew off the Demon's head with a powerful shot, leaving behind a smouldering, headless carcass that collapsed onto the ground, disintegrating shortly thereafter.
The remaining Spectres, upon the death of their master, began to slowly dissolve into nothingness, much to the relief of Jin Kai, who was getting exhausted from fighting them repetitively. Apart from the gradual disappearance of the Spectres, Jin Kai also noticed that their environment was slowly getting brighter, as though the darkness surrounding them was fading.
Jin Kai's thoughts were broken as he heard a stern voice, "You know what to do now, don't you, Xue Lang?" Jin Kai turned around to see that the carcass of the Demon had disappeared, and in its place, an individual cloaked in bright light which resembled Xue Lang in his human form.
The figure replied, "Yes…I've committed so many wrongdoings, wrecked so many families and even robbed a defenceless old lady. I'll confess to my sins in reality. Thank you for letting me see the light once again, by freeing me from the demon within my heart…"
Aiko smiled as she added, "There's no such thing as a path of no return, only the choice not to return. If you're resolved to change for the better, there's always a place in society for you." The figure smiled in appreciation of Aiko's kind words before it slowly faded.
Aiko heaved a sigh of relief before announcing, "Alright, our work here is done. Well done, everyone. Let's celebrate the success of our first Demon extermination with a celebratory dinner, Jin Kai's treat, hahaha!"
Jin Kai grumbled, "Hey, I already treated you guys for lunch! Don't push your luck too far!" which drew giggles from both girls as the trio searched for the portal to take them back into reality.
The moment Jin Kai returned to reality, the first thing he heard was a man's voice, "Hello, I'm SIO (Senior Investigation Officer) Kumar from Ang Mo Kio Police Division. May I speak to Mr Koh Wen Qing?" A man, who looked like Xue Lang, replied shakily as he opened the gate, "Yes, I am Koh Wen Qing. You're here to arrest me for all the crimes I've done, right?"
Surprised by the man's unexpected response, SIO Kumar replied calmly, "Mr Koh, alias Xue Lang, you're hereby under arrest for one charge of robbery and possibly other charges for your involvement in unlicensed money lending. Please note that whatever you say now might be used against you in court, so you've the right to remain silent."
Xue Lang nodded silently as he allowed the police officers to handcuff him without resistance as they escorted him out of his place. SIO Kumar turned to his subordinate and remarked, "Don't you find this weird, Gerard? Xue Lang's accomplice who leaked his whereabouts was also behaving rather funny. It's unexpected for such hardened criminals to give in without much resistance."
Gerard was about to reply when he noticed that there were 3 young adults hiding behind the wall at the corner of his eye. Gerard quickly added, "Sir, there are 3 more individuals over there who are behaving rather suspiciously. Should I bring them in for questioning?"
Upon hearing Gerard's next course of action, the 3 young people swiftly slipped away and disappeared. SIO Kumar turned to face their direction before laughing, "Hahaha, no worries, they're probably some kaypoh (nosy) residents excited to see the Police make arrests in their block. In any case, if we need to trace their identities, we have our PolCams installed at the lift lobby and stairwells which would give us a visual on their appearances. Let's go back, Gerard."
Gerard nodded as he followed his superior to the lift lobby, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that those 3 young people were more than just nosy onlookers. Deep in his heart, Gerard told himself, "Well, not to worry. If such a similar incident occurs again and I catch these 3 around, I'll mount an investigation against them, even without Police resources."